by Ada Haynes
Very annoying.
Shona heard the shower stop for a minute, but then it started again. Damn Najeb!
She looked around her. It was actually the first time she visited Najeb’s place in the Na Duibhnes’ house. It was really neat. Something she would have expected from Kalem’s son. What was quite surprising, though, was the quantity of human-written books he had, and the drawings and postcards glued on his walls. Books, postcards, drawings—all about some architectural wonders, ancient and recent.
She was studying a particularly mysterious drawing that filled half of one wall when Najeb finally came out of the bathroom, thankfully fully clothed and ready to go.
“What is that, Najeb?”
“Oh. I tried to draw Kse’Annilis water and sewage systems. It’s quite useful when something stops functioning somewhere.”
Hmm. Probably not something his father was aware of.
Then she noticed the small picture under the map. “You should hide this better, Najeb.”
He shook his head. “Her father will never come here.”
Shona’s relationship with Najeb was tumultuous, to say the least, but in the past days, she had heard of his love for the eldest daughter of the Akeneires’el of the Na Liathes—a girl so far up in the complex community hierarchy that Najeb had not even a remote chance of being allowed to talk to her, at least in theory. However, As’leandra seemed to return Najeb’s love—something that probably made them both very unhappy.
Shona had met the girl a few times already, but she was avoiding As’leandra Na Liathe whenever she could. The girl had a bad reputation as well. Not for the same reason as Shona, but she preferred keeping her distance just in case the tales she had heard were true.
She looked at her watch. “Damn! We are a full hour late! They have certainly started without us by now!”
She called Nukri na Liom. The next minute, they found themselves in her own bedroom, in the Castle. They hurried to the main reception room. The Castle was not that big, but the architect had built it with so many odd corridors and stairways that it seemed enormous.
“Toshio! I’m sorry… “
Her friend was in deep discussion with Jeffrey and his men, but immediately came to embrace her when she entered the room.
“No need to hurry. We received a message warning us you may be late. We would have waited for you, anyway. After all, it’s all because of your so-called plan that we are here!”
She had sent no message. She glared at Najeb, who managed to keep a straight face. Oh yes, they both could play that little game of annoying each other, when needed.
She smiled at her friend. “I’m glad to have you back here! It was not the same without you… even though Jeffrey and Maire were doing their best!”
He smiled and touched her brow with his lips. “Now, that’s not fair for them. I think they’ve done more than their best for you.”
He let her go, and turned his attention towards Najeb. “So, this is the man Jeffrey told me about? Your new bodyguard? I’ve seen you before.”
Najeb bowed slightly. “I was with Ekbeth na Duibhne when he visited you at the jail.”
“Oh yes. I remember now. Well, I’m not going to complain that someone is helping us with the job of keeping you under control, Shona. It is a tiring business.”
She ignored the comment. “Shall we start?”
Toshio smiled, amused by her attempt at changing the topic of conversation, and nodded his agreement. “We are all curious about your plan, Shona. Gentlemen!”
They all took their place around the long meeting table, Toshio and Shona facing each other. She was very conscious of all the eyes looking at her. She did not mind. She was quite used to getting the crowd’s attention, and at least the present group was a friendly one.
Toshio looked around the table, then nodded at her. “So, Shona. You think your son is alive somewhere. You want him back. You told me you have a plan.”
He was really not going to make this easy for her. Thankfully, she had a plan of a sort by now. She closed her eyes and when she reopened them ten boxes were stacked along the full length of the table.
No one in the room moved. Too much of Toshio’s influence, they had all learned to keep their emotions to themselves. This Calling of objects was a new trick for her—well, to be fair, with a bit of help from Nukri the Caller, but all the people in attendance there had been around her at some point in time and had long accepted that she was able to do weird stuff.
She put a hand on one of the boxes and looked at Toshio, facing her. “These boxes contain all the paperwork of the pharmaceutical company you saved me from. Everything. Printouts of emails, personal diaries of the managers, all administrative records for the last four years before you put an end to their business. Everything.”
That certainly got everyone’s attention.
Toshio just raised one eyebrow. “How did you manage to get those? I would have expected these documents to be destroyed when we blew up the laboratory.”
“What was destroyed were the official records, Toshio. What’s in those boxes is the real documentation of the business. It seems huge amounts of money were going in and out this company that nobody wished to be traced, but the owners did keep track of the transactions, maybe with the idea of covering their asses. For that reason, as well, it was not kept in the laboratory. We can thank a clever intermediary Jeffrey found for me for this. The man went to the owners’ families. I would have been happy with them allowing us to have a look into the company bank statements, but this is, of course, much better. The families were most cooperative, in the end. I paid whatever money they wanted. Anyway, I hope we can find who got paid for handing me over to them as a guinea pig, because I can’t imagine the bastard did not get any money for that.”
She uttered those words quietly. Yet resolutely.
“I am convinced there is one person at the center of everything, Toshio. Someone who arranged for the mercenaries to attack my family in Bhutan, who arranged for me to be kept in a Chinese jail for a few months without raising suspicion, and then sold me to the Thai company. I can’t imagine that there was more than one decision-maker involved in this.”
Toshio frowned. “So, you abandoned your idea that Kellerman is behind this?”
She gritted her teeth. “No. I know he’s the one ultimately responsible for everything. You don’t believe me, but he was there in that Chinese jail, helping with the interrogations. That fact, and the White Lady, confirms it. Kellerman is behind all this sad business. But, as you’ve proven to me again and again, we cannot link Kellerman to this Thai Pharmaceutical Company. And I can’t imagine him ordering soldiers around. Not refined enough for him. He must have asked someone to solve this for him. For money, or a favor… but no more than one person. The less intermediaries, the safer his secret.”
She placed her hand once more on the box. “And this here will help us track the intermediary, and hopefully we’ll be able to track the whole chain back to my son from that person.”
She saw the glint in Toshio’s eyes. She forced a smile on her lips. “And yes, I hope this will help prove I’m right about Kellerman, as well. But my first priority is Sonam.”
She had made her speech. She had to wait for his decision now.
Toshio took his time, but finally nodded. “Good reasoning. I suppose we could look for payments to Chinese people, and then check those people’s backgrounds. We may eventually find the bastard, as you said. But what do we do from there? How do you intend to make that intermediary talk? And the others?”
Shona faked an innocent expression. Toshio groaned. “I told you…”
“Relax, Toshio! I have no intention to leave a blood trail after us this time! Especially since we may have to come back for a second interrogation. I’m thinking more of a psychological war. Whoever was involved in this knew me, Toshio. Even if he’s aware of what you did to the building in Thailand, he’ll think me dead. He’s going to have a nasty surprise whe
n he discovers I’m not.”
Toshio frowned. “And you think it will be enough to make him talk?”
She kept her expression carefully neutral. “I have learned a few new tricks lately. I’m going to drive him crazy. He’s going to see me at every moment of the day, anywhere. Until he confesses his crime. Everyone is superstitious, deep inside. When we have his confession, we move to the next target. I know it might take time, but I don’t expect that many intermediaries. And, as you’ve said, my son has waited four years already. We have time on our side.”
It was difficult to keep an impassive face speaking those last words. She wanted to scream that they had to start now and hurry, but emotional arguments had never got her anywhere with Toshio before. There was the small issue of her current pregnancy, of course, but she would find a solution for that as well.
Toshio shook his head. Shona gritted her teeth. “Why?”
He raised his hand, palm open. Damn. She hated when he started counting his arguments.
“First, there is a good reason for having kept the fact you’re still alive a secret. Kellerman, if he is behind this, may decide you’re a risk he has to get rid of, even though we have no evidence against him, but he is not your only enemy, Shona. The Triads won’t be happy to discover you’re alive.”
“I’m not afraid of Kellerman. As to the Triads, make a deal with them.”
“Another deal? I’m asking a lot of favors from them lately. Just for you. But, yes, I might be able to keep them out of this.” Toshio raised another finger. “Secondly, how can you be sure your little game will work the way you want? It is too dangerous. I know what you have in mind, but a paranoiac man can still be fast with a gun.”
“I’ll be faster.”
He raised a third finger.
“We can’t be sure of that! But then, even if your plan works and our victim blubbers and talks, we have absolutely no guarantee that he will tell the truth! And he will certainly either have fled or expect us with a small army by the time we’ve discovered that he lied and come back to him!”
Damn!
“Shall I go on?”
She shook her head. She had been so proud of her idea. But Toshio was right, of course! It was not going to work.
She clenched her fists. “I will find Sonam, Toshio.”
He nodded. “And I certainly want to help you. These boxes are indeed a good start.”
He looked at everyone and no one in particular. “I’m open to suggestions, gentlemen.”
There were actually quite a few offers. Some involving physical torture, others prostitutes—none of them really satisfying. Until an unknown feminine voice resonated behind Toshio. Someone who had just entered the room.
“If I may? I think I can help you with your quest, Kimiel.”
Everyone quickly turned towards the voice. Some weapons appeared. Toshio’s men were professionals, though, and did not shoot.
Shona recognized the newcomer immediately. Najeb’s girlfriend. It was hard to miss the bright green hair on her head.
Shona frowned, but before she could ask anything, the young woman stopped her with a gesture. “Hear me out, please.”
Toshio turned towards Shona. “You know her?”
Shona nodded. That was enough for the weapons to disappear under the clothing again. Toshio signed the girl to approach. “Why don’t you start by introducing yourself?”
The newcomer waited for a chair and only spoke after she was sitting.
“I am As’leandra S’emoel Na Liathe, daughter of the Akeneires’el of the Na Liathes.”
Shona had to laugh when she saw the others’ reaction. Puzzlement. And it was not only because of the young girl’s heavily accented English.
“Those titles don’t impress them, As’leandra!” Shona said. “Let’s just say that we share the same heritage, gentlemen. She can also walk through walls and so on. Did Najeb ask you to come here? Where is he, anyway?”
Shona had not even seen him leave the room. He had been right behind her at the beginning of the discussion, but no one had reacted to his disappearance.
The young woman looked sheepishly at her hands. “Najeb did ask me. He’s explained your dilemma to me. Asked me if I would consider helping you.”
Help? What help could Shona expect from her? Then Shona remembered what she had heard about the girl. “Oh! It is true then?”
As’leandra nodded. “You could master this as well, Kimiel, with the proper training. It’s one of our gifts.”
“Care to elaborate on that ‘Oh’, Shona?” Toshio was showing unusual impatience. Shona allowed herself to smile. This might indeed be the perfect solution!
“As’leandra here can read minds, Toshio. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. She will be able to get the information we need by getting inside our target’s mind!”
When everyone looked at As’leandra, with reactions ranging from cautious to incredulous, both women just grinned at each other.
“Where is Najeb, As’leandra?”
“Covering for me.”
“He won’t be able to do that when we’re in China.”
“If necessary I will have someone else help me during that time.”
Toshio acquired their attention by clearing his throat, loudly. “Suppose I believe you. That you can read minds. You don’t speak Mandarin or any other Chinese dialect!”
As’leandra shrugged. “I don’t need to. That’s the beauty of reading people’s minds.”
“And how do you intend to proceed? Concretely.”
She pouted. “I don’t know. I must admit I never did this before. I mean, read forced confessions. I suppose you’ll have to constrain the victim, somehow, and ask the questions. I will be able to tell you if he’s telling the truth or not, and eventually read information he’s not willing to say out loud!”
Toshio was silent for a long time. Shona just waited. He finally shook his head, though not as unequivocally as before. “We’ll still have the problem that the victim will remember what happened!”
As’leandra answered by a shake of her own head. “No, he won’t.”
“Because?”
“I’ll erase the memory of the event from his head.”
She looked at Toshio and Shona, earnestly. “I can really do that, I promise.”
Toshio and Shona exchanged a grin, before Shona spoke. “Oh, we already know about that As’mir ability, As’leandra.”
That was how Keremli had given Shona her sanity back, though it had certainly been a very long process. But, then, there had been so much in Shona’s mind to erase.
Toshio nodded. “This might work. Certainly better than Shona’s plan.”
He paused, and then looked at As’leandra. “I’m not sure, though, that you plainly realize what you’re going to put yourself through. Restraining and asking questions, As’leandra, means torture. No matter how careful we are going to be, there is no point of erasing a memory if the person has broken bones or deep cuts. We’re going to inflict severe pain on someone. It’s not pretty. And if you are reading that person’s mind, I suppose you will share his pain. Are you up to it?”
For a second, Shona was afraid As’leandra was going to let her down, but the young As’mir surprised her by nodding resolutely. “I will help Kimiel. You won’t regret it.”
Toshio looked at Shona. “I suppose she’s referring to you when she says Kimiel?”
Shona just nodded. Toshio’s attention returned to As’leandra. “How much do you want for your help?”
This time As’leandra frowned. Clearly, she did not understand the question. Shona had to smile and told her in As’mir, “He is offering you money, As’leandra.”
“Oh!” As’leandra shook her head. “I have no need for money. But I will ask a favor from Kimiel in return.”
Shona was suddenly wary. She was prepared to do anything to get Sonam back, but lately she had learned the hard way the need to be cautious around As’mirin! Especially that one. As’lean
dra was known to like experimenting.
She asked, in As’mir, “What do you expect from me, As’leandra?”
To her surprise, the young woman turned bright red and looked at her hands. It was so unlike her, Shona could only think of one explanation.
“Is this about Najeb?”
As’leandra nodded. Shona sighed. “Najeb told me about your situation, but I don’t see what I can do for you, As’leandra.”
As’leandra kept looking at her hands, but whispered, “I heard Ara is talking to you. Can you please ask her to help us?”
Shona’s back become a bit hot. She just had no idea whether this was a good sign or not.
She wanted to warn the young woman to be careful with her wishes. But damn it, she needed her help!
She nodded. “I can certainly do that. I thank you for your offer, As’leandra. Though I will have a serious talk with Najeb about what I meant about keeping his mouth shut! And you’d better not start spreading rumors about what’s going to happen either!”
As’leandra shook her head. “I won’t, Kimiel. What I offer to do for you is frowned upon by the whole community. It’s misusing our gifts. It could bring me before Ara if I’m not careful.”
Ara’s trial, the girl meant. Shona nodded. “We have an understanding then.”
Then Shona turned towards Toshio, switching back to English. “I think we’re done for today. Do we have a plan?”
Toshio nodded.
As’leandra was already gone. Toshio frowned. “I’ll never get used to this, Shona! It is just not natural!”
“Depending on the point of view! Those people find walking unnatural!”
“I hate to ask, but before we start this long quest, have you asked them if they could help locate your son?”
Shona had, if not directly. Her son was As’mir as well after all, and she was ready to try anything.
“They can’t. I can’t explain why in detail, but it’s not possible.”
